Suchomimus 2014 (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

The first time I ever heard of Suchomimus was when I saw Jurassic Park 3 and the character Billy said, “It’s a super-predator: Suchomimus, “then Billy uses his hand and mimics the length of the snout and finishes by saying, “the snout.” The Suchomimus, which means “crocodile mimic” definitely had a pronounced and interesting snout that in a quick glance resembles today crocodiles and alligators, though in reality there are many structural differences. It lived during the early Cretaceous, in western Africa and was most likely a piscivore, which means it ate primarily fish. Unfortunately in the world of dinosaur toys, Suchomimus seems to be the middle child in the family of Spinosauride, despite having one of the most complete fossil remains in the family, it is vastly unrepresented for such a unique animal. With new members of the family being discovered and joining Baryonyx and Spinosaurus, it is nice to see Safari to do a re-sculpt (Suchomimus) before moving on to the next member in the family.

About the toy: The Safari model is touching the ground with all for limbs, though it feels subtle, as if the Suchomimus is wading in shallow water, waiting for a fish to swim by. Suchomimus is 81/2 inches long (10-11 cent.) and 4 inches tall (21 cent.). The head is turned slightly to the right (if you are looking at it head on), which is a little over two inches off the ground. The back legs are next to each-other, hips are around three inches off the ground, and the tail levels for a moment then continues higher. Just before the end of the tail, it tops off at 4 inches off the ground before the tail dips slightly, and curves to the left.

The head is really nice with well developed nose and ear holes, and the eyes look nice. The teeth are partly individual sculpted, with no real gaps in some of the teeth, but they are at different lengths. The animal is covered in scales that look like a crocodile scales, thay are large and square by the raised ridge along the back, and become rounder and smaller the lower you go on the body. There is a definite contrast in scale size. Along the spine, is a single line of scutes that again is very crocodilian.

The neck is short, and you can see the strong shoulder muscles and clear hips with muscles tone underneath the skin. Yes Suchomimus had neural spines, which are extensions on the vertebra; they were much smaller than Spinosaurus. The neural spines are most elongated at the rear back of the sacural vertebra which is over the hips and ends half way down the fleshy tail. There is no sail just a raised ridge that makes the animal look bigger. There is even a nice wattle of skin underneath the head and neck. The arms are long and powerful that end in three fingered hands that are nicely splayed with huge claws. The feet also have three digits that are spread out distributing its weight nicely.

The colorization is mostly green, orange, and beige. The ears, nose, inside of the mouth are all pink. The claws are black. Along the ridge and top of the animal are green, along with the feet, tail, and outside of the arms and legs. Along the midsection and underneath are orange/beige. On one of my models the white for teeth extended a little high onto the gums, but for the most part it is well painted.

Scientific Accuracy: Ok, so there might be a concern, such as the thumb claw should be longer than the other claws on the other two digits. That was the only issue that I found. I have no concern on the skin texture looking like a crocodile as no skin impressions have been found for this species that I know of. The hands are not overly pronated and face inward which is correct, most models get this correct now a days. In fact, I really can’t find much to complain about, it was researched and done very well.

Playability: I think this is a great toy to be played with and a great model for the shelf. It is stable with all four limbs touching down. Its body can be moved into many positions, including standing up and balancing on its tail. It was a joy to take pictures of, because every angle offered something new. It is great with kids, tough and durable, though I have found some of the paint on the flanks does wear off rather quickly.

Overall Appraisal: I fully recommend this unique species and dinosaur toy. It has good details, colors, and is accurate in its reflection of the fossil material, minus the length of the length of one claw. It is a good illustration of the diversity and specialization of dinosaurs. Its pose, looks active and full of life, ready to catch fish in streams and lakes. If you pair it with models from different companies, styles and sizes, it actually fits in very well due to its head being low, and the tail going up high. It is simply awesome. It will make a beautiful, but deadly addition to your Dinosaur collection.

You can add Suchomius to your collection by going to most toy shops that sell Safari, along with Amazon or Dan’s Dinosaurs.

One Response to Suchomimus 2014 (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

I have it and I love it. The color is just beautiful, texture is very satisfying and mine stands on its own two feet! The throat goes down deep and I prefer the tooth’s coloring over the Carnegie spinosaurus’. Definitely guaranteed it will not let you down!